What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).

Chester has the most homeowners (86.7%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	St. Albans	Chester
People
Population	6,954Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	St. Albans and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	33.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 29% below VT	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT
	Chester and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kHighest 17% below VT	$232,900±$44kLowest 26% below VT
	St. Albans and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Highest 12% below VT	$4,262Lowest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 4% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Chester and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 70 in VT	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.